Peter Jackson — remember him? It’s been 11 years since he last directed a narrative feature, not counting his passion project documentaries like the stunning WWI film “They Shall Not Grow Old” (2019). At this point, you’d be forgiven for forgetting he’s still around.
Regardless, Jackson, the Oscar-winning filmmaker behind “The Lord of the Rings”, has given a rare update on his cinematic future, and it’s not what fans might’ve expected.
Though he hasn’t directed a feature film since 2014’s “The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies,” Jackson is adamant he hasn’t retired from moviemaking. In fact, he tells Screen Rant he’s currently developing three different screenplays.
No, I'm not retired. We are currently working on three different screenplays. I'm at the moment writing three different scripts. We are producing and have been writing The Hunt for Gollum, which Andy Serkis is going to direct next year. I've enjoyed working on documentaries, whether they show I've grown old or not, and obviously the “Get Back.” The Beatles project. I've enjoyed doing various things with The Beatles, which is great, and that'll probably carry on.
So, Jackson isn’t abandoning film. While ‘The Hunt for Gollum’ is moving forward, it’s unclear if Jackson will direct again in the near future. There’s always a chance the three mystery scripts he’s developing could be handed off to other filmmakers, just as Serkis is taking the reins on Gollum.
One project fans still hope to see revived is the long-delayed sequel to “The Adventures of Tintin,” once rumored to be Jackson’s next directorial outing after Spielberg's 2011 instalment.
The first three ‘Lord of the Rings’ films, directed by Jackson, were critically acclaimed and dominated the global box office. Each entry racked up Oscar nominations, culminating in a Best Picture win for 2003’s “The Return of the King.” Jackson later returned with ‘The Hobbit’ trilogy—financially successful but far less beloved—which ultimately brought both the franchise and Jackson’s directorial output to a halt.
Can you blame him? After all, he pocketed hundreds of millions from ‘The Lord of the Rings’ and retreated comfortably into semi-retirement. Outside of Middle-earth, Jackson’s pre-hiatus filmography includes the criminally underrated “Heavenly Creatures,” “King Kong, “The Lovely Bones,” “Bad Taste” and “The Frighteners.”